Functionalized indolines are important class of heterocyclic frameworks that are included in a wide variety of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, natural products, and molecular catalysts. In particular, the indoxyl skeleton (3-indolinone) is the core structure which is found in biologically important compounds such as halichrome A [1a], metagenebiindoile A [1b], (-)-trigonoliimine C [2], cephalinone C [3], (+)-austamide [4], brevianamide A [5a] and isatisine [5b] (Fig. 1).
